The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-04-07
MEPHISTOPHELES AND IAGO.

"A
PROF. G. r. WINsTON's LECTURE
BEFORE THE SHAKSPERE CLUB.
The Dramatic Characters. Mephisto-
pheles aud lago. Com pared by a Shake.
perian chOlar aud A BILE Lecturer.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNIcLEl
CHAPEL HILL, N. c., April /. 1851
There was a large attendance of Faculty,
students and gentlemen of the village at
the last meeting of the Shakspere Club to
hear the very able, scholarly and interest
ing lecture of Prof. Winston on Mephis-
topheles and Iago compared. 1t wa, a
rare intellectual treat. In order to give
your readers some idea Of its merits, |
took down a few passages
The characters of MephistOpheles and
Iago are dramatic pictures of the spirit of
evil, the Devil and the human h art.
Mephistopheles is devil turned man; Iago
is man turned devil. They walk before
us as hideous as hell.
at would be strange if the drama, that
noble formation of emotion and clear glass
of life, had failed to mirror the power
that moves to evil. No other subject, be-
sides the immortality of the soul. mas SO
agitated through all ages, the philosophic
and reverential mind. This very problem
of the presence of evil in Gods world is
presented with great dramatic power in
one of the oldest books of the Bible. one
of the Oldest literary treasures of the Indo
European nations-the book of Job.
The character of Mephistopheles is an
imitation of Satan. He comes, fallen
angel, amid the Heavenly hosts and does
mock homage before the throne. The
his servant. Mephistopheles sneers at the
id a of Faust serving the Lord and offer,
a bet that he can tempt him from the true
path.
1.-The Lord gives him leave to make the
trial, adding that he sends the Devil
among men to stir them up to work
Mephistopheles is thus an unwilling tool
in the plan of salvation
Faust is picture of lofty soul strug-
Cling with the mysteries of life and long
ing to dwell in the secret chambers of
nature. He is college professor who
knows all sciences and feels the emptiness
of human knowledge. Much learning has
made him mad
''Mephistopheles seeks to destory Faust
by the temptations of pleasure. Satan
attacked Job with the temptations of sOr-
row. His chief weapon is not intellectual
power nor moral and spiritual temptation,
but magic, magical power to supply
money, jewels. locomotion and lnforma-
ton.
The most derelict quality of Nephisto-
pheeS is irreverence. He is more malicious
towards God than towards man. His
character represents devil both rebelliOns
and re>erential, devil whose heart is
sometimes less devilish than the man he
tempts; it represents a philosopher mock
ing religion; magician creating wealth
and rrjuvanating life; wild and lusty
witch WhiTling in the dance.
There are many defects in the character
of Mephistopheles. The poet has tried to
embody too many conceptions in one char
acter. Mephstopheles is a devil in form
but man in heart.
I'VE turn now to another picture of
evil, to Shakspere's Iago. Here is man
whose heart is 50 corrupt with evil, the
malignity of whose nature is so infinite
and Unsuitable; The power of whose cum
ming is resistless that friend from hell
would be less devilish. 1t is human
serpent; it is man with the heart of
devil and the intellect Of a God.
His wicked mind distorts everything
into evil He is morally incapable of
recognizing virtue Cassie, full of ten
der and courteous gallantry, is a ''slipper
and subtle knave, finder cut of occa-
sions." Othello. with his free and noble
nature is an ass, to be led by the nose
prattle, is a guinea hen, and Roderigo is
Il 'snipe.' How beautifully does Othello
describe his wooing:
"She loved me for the dangers had passed,
And l loved her that she did pity them'
"She loved him." says Iago, ''for brag-
ging and telling her fantastical lies"
Iago has no kindred. We cannot con-
ceive of his mother We cannot believe
that he ever lay in the arms of a woman,
a tender, guileless babe. We almost ina
giue him without birth,-a self begOtien
demon of evil. 1t is difficult 10 select the
ruling quality in lagos character. He is
a wonderful compt und of rnallgnity, mock
cry, ingenuity, versatility, bOldness and
cunning. And yet. with all his versatility,
he is ever the same. So thoroughly is he
acquainted with his victims that from his
speeches We might almost reconstruct the
principal characters of the play. The lee
turer with great dramatic power and feel
ing read various passages of the play illus
| trative of lagos character. He continued:
''All the powers of lagos genius are ex-
ercised upon OthellO. He knows all the
keys of his heart and touches them with
the skill of master. He Stimulates virtue
and vice. patience and anger, grief and
joy, but in the whirlwind of his passion he
| is AS cool as serpent"
Many passages were tnen reaO showing
the artful firing of Othello's jealousy and
lagos conquest of his mind. He then said ::
"Othello's love ami jealousy centend like
| the sea and the whirlwind. The depths of
his nature are upheaved and the billows
of his passion ran mountain high His
heart is broken, but he would heal it with
the memory Of her sweetness, even the
dream of a happiness that is past. But
Iago tears open the gashes of his heart and
turns tenderness to gall. Iago is a perfect
picture of ev |, but not of evil triumphant
over virtue. He stabs his victims most
cunningly, but he stabs them with their
own vices. BY a sort of internal instinct
he scents the evil in his victims cart and
uses it to destroy him. He ruins Otheilo
by jealousy. Cassie by drunkenness, Emf
liza by falsehood and theft. Roderigo by
vanity. Desdemona is the only victim who
is free from vice. With her he seems able,
''Out of good to find a means of evil"
"Only once in the play does Iago feel a
virtuous emotion. He cannot conquer Des-
demona; but she with her tender sorrow
and guileless purity draws from his ma
lignant heart cue single drop of pity. 1t
is the perfect triumph of goodness. DO
not weep do not weep. Alas the day.
poor Desdemona! The agony of her sor